The Easy Part
by brittanythestoryteller
Summary: Arthur Weasley knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with Molly Prewett. For two weeks he has waited for the right time to propose to her. After seeing firsthand that life can be unpredictable, he decides that he's through with waiting. Set in 1968.


Arthur Weasley was certain of many things. He knew that his new job at the Ministry of Magic, in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, was on Level Two on the lift. He knew that he had received all E's on his six N.E.W.T.s, hence the acceptance into the Ministry straight out of Hogwarts. Arthur even knew that Muggles operated things called cars that allowed them to get around, since they could not Floo; Muggles were always surprising Arthur with the things they came up with in the place of magic (there was even talk at the Ministry of utilizing these cars, since they were now so popular that almost every Muggle family owned one).

Yes, Arthur Weasley knew many things, but there was one fact more important than anything else. He, Arthur Weasley, was in love with his girlfriend of two and a half years, Molly Prewett.

In fact, Arthur wanted to spend the rest of his life with Molly. He'd had to work overtime for a year to afford the engagement ring that he bought for her. He planned on asking her father for her hand in marriage, but hadn`t done it yet for an inexplicable reason. The ring sat in Arthur's pocket for two weeks before he finally pulled it out and gave it to Molly. Little did he know that he would be proposing in the crowded lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital.

It had started with Arthur's father, Septimus Weasley, and a late-night confrontation.

* * *

_Septimus Weasley had just exited the apothecary on the outskirt of Diagon Alley, hoping to hurry up and Apparate home as it was getting dark out and Cedrella would worry if he was too late. As he turned on the spot, though, he heard yelling from behind him and the word "Mudblood" used quite a few times._

_Septimus turned around to see that a frightened-looking young man was cornered against the stone wall of the apothecary's outside. The man advancing on him was older, yet not quite as old as Septimus himself, and he had a long, twisted face with dark eyes glittering with malice. He looked dangerous; Septimus immediately felt uneasy but couldn't just leave the young man, who looked about the same age as his youngest son. Besides, the threatening man had already seen him. Judging by the man's dark robes, the time of night and the direction in which he'd been going, he was going to Knockturn Alley._

_Knockturn Alley was even more dangerous now, with both wizards and Muggles disappearing left and right for no clear reason. Septimus knew that the wizards that hung around Knockturn Alley at night during these times were not the sort he wanted to run into. He planned to diffuse this situation quickly and hopefully get home safely._

_"I-I said t-that I was s-sorry!" the young man said in a desperate, pleading voice. "Please just l-let me go, I won`t t-tell anyone -"_

_"Ha!" the older man said, now turning to Septimus. "What are you looking at?"_

_Septimus, a retired Auror, had no desire to duel that night. The man had already drawn his wand, though, so Septimus did the same. He had not been a Gryffindor for nothing. "Why don't you just go on your way and leave this man alone?"_

_The dark-robed man laughed again. "I would have, but this Mudblood," he gestured to the trembling younger man near him, "got in the way and didn't even apologize!" He spat in the direction of the young man. "Filthy Mudblood!"_

_"Now, there's no need for that kind of language," Septimus said boldly. The man turned his hateful gaze to him. "I just want to go home, and I'm certain that this man is sorry for bumping into you."_

_"Yes, I am!" the young man piped up helpfully. "I'm very sorry, sir!"_

_"Shut up, Mudblood," the man snarled. He was still looking at Septimus, who held his ground as only a seasoned Auror familiar with conflict could. "I'll be on my way, then, but I want to be gone before you summon the authorities." His face twisted into a sneer._

_"What do you-" Septimus did not get a chance to finish his sentence. The man had raised his wand and a jet of purple light hit Septimus directly in the chest. He lost consciousness immediately and crumpled to the ground._

* * *

Three days later, Septimus finally woke up to find that he was surrounded by his family in St. Mungo's Hospital. Arthur had been there when he came to and had summoned his healer immediately. Cedrella came dashing in, Healer Fenwyck right behind her. Arthur couldn't help but grin as his mother gasped and ran to her husband, planting a kiss on his chapped lips.

No one knew what curse the man that attacked Septimus had used. Arthur would later discover that his father had been cursed by a man named Antonin Dolohov, a wanted fugitive who was associated with an anti-Muggle group called the Knights of Walpurgis that had caused the Ministry a bit of trouble shortly after Gellert Grindelwald's fall. The Knights had not been active since the previous decade, but men like Dolohov still remained at large.

Arthur and his mother were overjoyed to hear from Healer Fenwyck that Septimus would make a quick and full recovery. Arthur's brothers, Bilius and Percival, showed up later on in the day and were relieved that their father was all right.

Over the next day, Arthur watched the way that Cedrella and Septimus embraced, and how happy they were just to have one another. His mother had been disowned from the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black in order to be with his father, and if that wasn't devotion he didn't know what was.

It was in that moment, while thinking of the love his parents had for each other, that Arthur Weasley realized that life was too short and unpredictable to spend waiting around for the "right" moment to propose to Molly. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, and he was certain she felt the same way. He'd been carrying the ring in his robes for two weeks now, always waiting for the perfect moment to take it out and ask the question. Arthur had originally planned on asking Devlin Prewett formally for his daughter's hand in marriage, but he was done with waiting. He or Molly could be struck down by a criminal like Dolohov at any moment, and he knew when he awoke from such an attack he'd want Molly, as his wife, by his side.

Arthur went down to the lobby of St. Mungo's where Molly was just Flooing in, as she said she would, shopping bags in her hands and looking quite flustered. He stood there until Molly had walked right up to him, but before she could even greet him he was down on one knee. She gasped as he pulled out the ring and held it in front of her.

"Molly Evelyn Prewett, I love you with all of my heart. I want to grow old and have a family with you by my side. Will you marry me, Mollywobbles?"

Arthur looked up at her, awaiting her answer. Molly was crying by the time he'd finished his speech. He didn't have time for anything except to stand up before his new fiancee threw herself into his arms, planting happy, tearful kisses all over his face.

"Yes, Arthur, yes!" Molly said in between kisses.

Arthur had never thought one word could unleash so much joy, but here he was grinning like a fool. Moments later, he realized the witches and wizards in the hospital waiting room were all on their feet, beaming and clapping. He'd forgotten they were in St. Mungo's. As he looked around the crowd, accepting congratulations from people he'd never met, he saw four familiar faces. Bilius, Percival, Cedrella and Septimus, just discharged, were watching with identical it-took-you-long-enough grins.

Just like that, in the lobby of St. Mungo's Hospital, Arthur Weasley had experienced the happiest moment of his life.

* * *

**A/N: In my head, at least, Molly and Arthur got married in 1968, and it was a spur-of-the-moment ceremony. This story takes place in 1968, and the First Wizarding War is just starting to heat up (the disappearances are being connected and not just written off, etc.). I'd imagine that Voldemort and the Death Eaters were not well-known yet, but someone like Dolohov who's been around since Voldemort was still going by Tom Riddle was sure to rack up a list of charges by the Ministry. Unfortunately, Dolohov will not be caught and sent to Azkaban until he murdered Molly's brothers. :(**

**About the Knights; I'm sure mostly everyone knows by now that JKR said in an interview that the Death Eaters were formerly known as the Knights of Walpurgis. In my head, at least, I figure that the Knights were formed while Riddle was at school between him and his school "friends" (Dolohov, Rosier, Nott, Mulciber, etc.) and they did a bit of Muggle-born killing before their group name became too known and their identities too easy to guess by those like Dumbledore. I'd imagine that Riddle created the Death Eaters starting with the original Knights, but this time they used the Dark Marks and other techniques to operate in secret for at least ten years before people started connecting the disappearances and seemingly random Muggle murders. I assume that after the Dementors joined Voldemort and his Death Eaters increased in numbers to an amount that would be considered a legitimate threat to the Ministry, is when they started casting the Dark Mark over their victims' bodies and murdering prominent blood-traitors like the McKinnon family. So, in 1968, I imagine that the Death Eaters were active but operating in secrecy after the failure of the Knights of Walpurgis. Some people, like Dumbledore, were probably connecting the dots, but the Order wasn't created yet and witches and wizards did not feel threatened yet.**

Sorry if that was too long, but I spend a lot of time thinking about these things, lol. I intend to cover the full formation of the Knights and the Death Eaters in my WIP, _Enemies of the Heir Beware_, which is on hiatus right now because some girl I trusted stole my laptop with the completed story on it. Anyway, thanks for reading my one-shot; I have about fifty more written that need some fine-tuning, but there is definitely more coming very soon!


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